A Sense of Permanence

Home & Design - May/June 2010

In 1976, the picturesque, waterfront city of Annapolis beckoned Bob Hammond, AIA, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s school of architecture and then a member of a Philadelphia architecture firm. “I wanted to be near water and it was a perfect town to combine architecture and waterside life,” he recalls.

Architects Bob Hammond and Leo Wilson designed this timeless Easton, Maryland, home with airy interiors. This curved staircase and entry belongs to an elegant home the architects designed in Bennett Point, Maryland.

Hammond moved his family and hung out his shingle in Annapolis, creating his own architecture firm. In 1992, Leo Wilson, AIA, LEED AP, another Chesapeake-area fan and fellow alumnus of University of Pennsylvania’s school of architecture, joined the practice. Wilson and Hammond turned out to have other things in common as well – in particular “a similar design sensibility,” says Wilson, who became a partner in 2000. Today, Hammond Wilson Architects does a thriving business, about 70 percent of which is residential. “We don’t respond to fads of the moment,” Hammond says. “We want our designs to stand the test of time.”

According to Wilson, the firm’s architecture reflects the region in which they are building: They work in what Wilson refers to as a “Chesapeake vernacular. We build a lot of houses on the water so our architecture reflects that lifestyle.”

The firm also converted an historic barn into The Key School in Annapolis.

Since the shift in the economy, Hammond Wilson has seen an increase in renovations over new construction, and a wider range in the size of projects. There’s also a greater emphasis on green design, as a response to both environmental and economic issues. With the firm’s focus on timeless design, these changes work well for Hammond Wilson. “We have a commitment to sustainable design,” Wilson says. “One of the keys is building with a sense of permanence.”

Facts & Stats

Commercial Projects In addition to a number of other commercial projects, LEED-accredited Hammond Wilson has created master plans for school renovations utilizing green design principles.

Specialties Hammond Wilson oversees each project start to finish without reducing involvement once the design phase is past.